Locking hook



A. L. GEISLER. LOCKING HOOK. APPLICATION FILED JAN.25,192I.

. 1,391,625 PatentedSept.20,1921

WITNESSES JTTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ,Locxmo HOOK.

Application filed January 25, 1921'.

' To all whom it may] concern:

- resents a spring Be it knownthat I, ALEXANDER L. GEIS- LER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofBristohin'the county of Bristol and State of Rhode'lsland, have invented anew and Improved Locking Hook, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in looking hooks.

.An object of a device of this this invention is to provide character which may function either as a key ring, a coupling link, or a hanger. When the device is constructed in a suitable size to form a key ring, it will prove amusing as a puzzle for children.

A further object is to provide a locking hook which will be simple and practical in construction, efficient and durable in use, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying Figure 1 is a view in drawings side-elevation showing my improved device in closed position.

in use as a key ring.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of Fig. 1 showing the device in open position.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the position of the parts when the device functions as a anger.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 reploop formed by bending a single piece of spring metal. The metal may be of any suitable thickness and any desired cross sectional shape, althoughit is preferably rectangular in cross section. The

intermediate portion of the metalstrip is bent to form the spring loop 1, and the ends of the strip then extend in a parallel direction, the shorter end 2 being held against the longer end 3 by the spring action of the loop 1. The shorter end of the metal strip is preferably tapered as indicated at 2'. The longer end 3 of the strip terminates in a substantially U-shaped hook 4 and the free extremity 5 of the hook extends back toward the loop 1. The tapered extremity of the end 2 is located within the hook and presses against the end 3 as before noted.

By springing the end 2 to one side as one another by Serial No. 439,780.

indicatedin Fig. 2, a key such as 6 may be introduced onto the loop. A conventional form of nut such as 7 is then passed over the hook and on to the straight portion of the end 3. The end 2 is then forced back into the position shown in Fig. 1 and the nut 7 is lockedin position encircling the ends 2 and 3. It is to. be noticed that the nut 7 is of a size which will permit ready slipping on and off over the hook 4 when the end 2 is swung out of the way, but when the end 2 is in its normal position, it effectively prevents the application or withdrawal of the nut.

The space between the body portion of the end 3 and its parallel extremity 5 is sufficient to permit the nut 10 to slip freely onand off of the hook, but when the shorter end or tongue 2 is located between the extremity 5 and the end 3, there is not sufficient intervening space between the extremity 5 and the tongue 2 to permit the nut to be turned and slipped off of the hook.

The nut 7 may be formed with an integral apertured lug 8 receiving'one end of a supporting chain such as 9.

In Fig. 3 1 illustrate the device in use as a hanger suspended from the loop 1 by a shaft or rod 10, the hook 7 functioning to support a depending member such as 11. When designed for this use, the device may of course be made of a size proportionate to the weight which it is to support.

It will be apparent that children will find amusement endeavoring to remove or replace the nut 7 when the device is made in small sizes so that it may be manually operated.

Various slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character stated, comprising a strip of metal bent to form a spring cop, the ends of said strip being held against an annular locking member adapted to encircle the two ends of the strip, one of said ends adapted to be sprung laterally to perthe resiliency of the loop,

loop, and having its ends extending in parallelism and held against each other by the action of the loop, one of said ends being longer than the other end and terminating in a U-shaped hook, the free extremity of said hook extending back toward the loop, said shorter end adapted to be sprung to one side to permit the introduction of an article on to the loop, and means for locking such an article on the loop, said means comprising an annular locking member encircling the parallel portions of the two ends.

3. A device of the character stated, comparallelism and prising a single strip of metal having its intermediate portion bent to form a spring loop, and having its ends extending in held against each other by the action of the loop, one of said ends being longer than the other end and terminating in a U-shaped hook, the free extremity of said hook extending back toward the loop, said shorter end adapted to be sprung to one side to permit the introduction of an article on to the loop, means for locking such an article on the loop, said means comprising an annular locking member encircling the parallel portions said locking member movable freely over the hook when the shorter end of the strip is sprung to one side, and locked against movement on the hook when the shorter end is in operative position.

ALEXANDER L. GEISLER.

of the two ends, 1 

